Main content

The 1960 Coup Against Haile Selassie

How Ethiopia's Emperor was almost overthrown in a bloody coup. We speak to Dr Asfa-Wossen Asserate, the grand nephew of Haile Selassie, about the plot.

In December 1960, while the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, was out of the country, his Imperial Bodyguard took over the capital Addis Ababa and proclaimed his son the new emperor. We speak to Dr Asfa-Wossen Asserate, the grand nephew of Haile Selassie, about the coup. Dr Asfa-Wossen is the author of King of Kings, a new history of Haile Selassie's rule. Photo: Emperor Haile Selassie in the Royal Palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, circa 1960. (Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Mon 14 Dec 2015 08:50GMT

Broadcast

  • Mon 14 Dec 2015 08:50GMT

Featured in...

Podcast